On our island of just 529 people in the Inland Sea, we have one post office and one bank. The bank, run by the almighty JA (Japan Agriculture), shares an office with the JA dry goods store, which offers everything from rodent poison to a new water heater.

Going into the bank side of the JA is kind of like entering a business run by your second cousin once removed — always friendly, always chatty, and conversations infused with laughs and a few guffaws. We exchange news about what's happening and they ask about my family when I've just returned from a trip home. So it wasn't surprising when one of the ladies prefaced a question with, "Amy-san, can I ask you something?" I could tell that a personal question was about to be unleashed. "Do you pay into Japan's pension program?"

Since many Japanese people have the false impression that foreigners don't have to contribute to the country's social welfare program while living here, I assured her that I do pay into the system, and I took a little extra time to explain reciprocal social security agreements between nations.